孤陋寡闻 (gū lòu guǎ wén) — ignorant and inexperienced; ill-informed and narrow-minded

Definition

A written chengyu meaning 'ignorant and ill-informed' — usually self-deprecating ('I really am ignorant') or a polite way to admit limited knowledge. Strongly negative; do not use to describe others carelessly.

phrase
ignorant and inexperiencedill-informed and narrow-minded

Examples

  • ，孤陋寡闻。
    Tā cóng xiǎo zài nóng cūn zhǎng dà, duì chéng shì shēng huó gū lòu guǎ wén.
    He grew up in the countryside, so he is ignorant about city life.
  • ，孤陋寡闻。
    Duō dú diǎn shū, bú yào ràng bié rén jué de nǐ gū lòu guǎ wén.
    Read more books; don't let others think you are ill-informed.
  • 孤陋寡闻，。
    Wǒ zhēn shì gū lòu guǎ wén, lián zhè ge cháng shí dōu bù zhī dào.
    I am truly ignorant — I didn't even know this common knowledge.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

孤陋
孤gūalone陋lòunarrow
联合Side by side
寡闻
寡guǎfew闻wénknowledge
偏正Modifier + head

孤 (alone) and 陋 (narrow) pair with 寡 (few) and 闻 (knowledge) to mean limited learning.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐchild
Sound part声符shēngfú
瓜
瓜guā孤gū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

孤 uses 子 (child) to show a child, and 瓜 to give the sound.

Open 孤 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 頁頁yèhead

The form 寡 pairs 宀, a house, with 頁, a head: one head in a house, alone.

Open 寡 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén聞wén
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.

Open 闻 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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